What I learned from quitting my job and becoming a full time blogger

This is a topic that I have wanted to write for quite some time, and I think that now is the best time to address it, be honest about it and share with you everything I learned during one of the most exciting years of my life.

Almost a year ago I took the brave and risky decision to leave a very well paid position working for one of the biggest tech companies on this planet, if not the biggest, to chase a dream and follow the unknown. As you can imagine this was not an easy road to take and I was playing with this thought in my head for quite some time. Much like anyone in my position, I was afraid to leave the stability and certainty of a job behind, but as my role was not making me happy, the fear turned into strength and when the time was right I mustered the courage to take a leap of faith and say “if not now, then when?”

The day I handed in my notice I felt free, light and I celebrated dancing all by myself to loud music. The world was my oyster and I was ready to face it. I was ready to discover more of my strengths and power through my weaknesses.

The last twelve months have been a journey of self-discovery and the learnings were so many and I could be writing for days about them. I probably doubted myself as many time as I defended my decision, I got scared for the future, but I also got very excited when I saw all the potential I could reach. It was a roller coaster of emotions that I am very happy I went through as I managed to grow and become stronger. After this experience, I am now ready to face whatever comes my way.

If you ever think of doing the same here is a handful of points that will help you get started.

Take calculated risks

When you take such decisions you have to make sure that your risks are safe and that you will not make your family and friends worry about you. Becoming a freelancer brings financial uncertainty and one of the main things I made sure I did before taking this decision, was to build my bank account. This was the best advice I was given and it is the same advice I would give to everyone that wants to give full-time blogging a go.

Budget

As a freelancer, you will have to learn to budget. When there is no longer the safety net of a monthly salary, you have to manage your finances till you book your next project. Learning how to budget might sound difficult, but it takes just a few weeks to get used to it.

Plan

Budgeting and planning will become your second nature and you will find that the pressure that you will put on your self is what will keep you motivated and push you to be creative when looking for the next project.

Your hobby is now your job

Since blogging is now your full-time job, this means that the dynamics have changed. What once used to be a weekend hobby, is now is your job that will bring you your next paycheck. Everything will have to be approached in a more professional way and the time you put into your blog posts will take longer than before.

It is all about the numbers

You might be the best content creator in the world, you might write beautiful articles, shoot the most creative styled shoots and review products or services with as much detail as possible. However, if you do not have the numbers (followers) brands will not work with you that easily. So my advice is to build your profiles and numbers before moving into the professional blogger’s world, simply because the road will be a little bit more harder to walk on if you don’t.

Multiple streams of income

If you try blogging for a year you will realise that it is not a job that you can easily live from, especially if you fall into the category of the micro – influencer, like myself, meaning that your overall following is near or under 10k. However, if you are an influencer/blogger with a large number of followers then things will be easier for you. Having realised where I stand from the start, I knew that my freelancing business would not only fall under my blogging and content creation skills but I would also use my marketing background and event planning to make things easier and more profitable for me.

Leave doubt out of the door

Doubt comes hand in hand with progression. It is only normal that you will doubt yourself and your decisions especially when you are working on a one-person team. Observe your doubts and take action only if they are substantials. Doubt is fear covered with lack of self-belief. The secret is to never feel trapped by your own decisions, if you realise that freelancing and blogging full time is not for you, you have every right to change your mind. Be brave for having the courage to try something different and move on to the next best thing for you.

Recognise

Not every one of your friends or family will be able to do what you do and bring in the work every month. Take some time to recognise that what you are doing is brave, tough and don’t beat yourself down if things don’t go according to your plan or if you get rejected. You are doing an amazing job and you have to recognise it.

Enjoy it

Last you have to enjoy every single day of deciding to follow your dream. Whatever the outcome you had the strength to follow what your heart desired and you are making it work. Even if this lasts for one month or one year, you have to put worries and self-doubt aside and enjoy every single minute as you never know where all this will take you.

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Originally from GREECE but currently based in DUBLIN, IRELAND. Passionate about Make-up and Fashion and writing about it in this little corner of the internet.
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